Ripening Grape

Ripeness in viticulture

In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced and what the winemaker and viticulturist personally believe constitutes ripeness. Once the grapes are harvested, the physical and chemical components of the grape which will influence a wine's quality are essentially set so determining the optimal moment of ripeness for harvest may be considered the most crucial decision in winemaking.

Ripening

Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make the fruit seem tarter. This effect is attributed to the Brix-Acid Ratio. Climacteric fruits ripen after harvesting and so some fruits for market are picked green.

Grape

A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.

Shades of violet

Violet is a color term derived from the flower of the same name. There are numerous variations of the color violet, a sampling of which are shown below.

ripening

Noun

1. The process of becoming ripe.

Verb

1. present participle and gerund of ripen

grape

Noun

1. A small, round, smooth-skinned edible fruit, usually purple, red, or green, that grows in bunches on female vines of most species of genus Vitis and the self-fertile plants of species Vitis vinifera.
2. Any woody vine of genus Vitis that bears clusters of grapes; a grapevine.

Adjective

1. Containing grapes or having a grape flavor.
2. Of a dark purplish red colour.